Is this okay, Hon? Maybe not. And that’s okay.

“Did you find everything you were looking for, Hon?”

How many times have you heard words like these when checking out at the grocery store, or drug store, or variety store, and answered without thinking, “Yes, I did”?  For most people, having a total stranger refer to you as “Hon,” or “Dear,” or “Love” or some other casual term of endearment goes in one ear and out the other. It’s just the way some people have learned to address other people when they don’t know their name. No big deal.

Unless it is.